The 12th Andover (West) Scout Group
'The best'
Welcome to the 12th Andover (West) Scout Group website
COVID-19 Latest News (06/09/2021): All sections will be returning to scouting over the next week or so and we are pleased to tell you we are at last at the GREEN phase as far as our meetings are concerned as described by the Scout Association. This means that whilst we will continue to be cautious when we meet meeting outside whilst we can, ventilating the HQ as much as possible and cleaning all surfaces and hands etc. regularly, in effect we are back to ‘normal’.
We have created a new risk assessment to cover the latest level of caution which includes things like asking parents to stay outside the HQ for now when dropping off or collecting their young person. Please ask you leaders if you are not sure about how any of this works and they will update you.
It’s been a hard 18 months for us all but we are slowly getting back to normal and we look forward to a new year of fun for everyone.
Scroll down or click ‘News & Events’ above for all our latest news ….
We are based in the Andover District in North Hampshire. Our Group meet at the Scout Hut on West Portway in Andover (see contact for more details).
Our group consists of Beaver, Cub & Scout sections and in addition, one of the District Explorer units also meets at our hut as well as a Networks section.
We have a great hut with lots of facilities, a large car park and a wonderfully large outside space that is fully and safely enclosed, allowing us to hold camps and many events within our own grounds.
The aim of the Scout Association is to promote the development of young people and help them achieve their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potentials as individual, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities.
This website is continuously being added to so please browse it regularly to find new information on the 12th Andover (West) Scout Group.
Latest News
Welcome Back to Scouting
All sections will soon be returning to scouting at the 12th and we are looking forward to seeing all our young people again. You should know the return date for your sections but please ask your leaders if you are not sure. The Scout Association have declared that we are now at the GREEN phase so we are as close to ‘normal’ as we have been since the pandemic started. Of course we remain cautious and there will be lots of hand washing and sanitising, outdoor events, some mask wearing for leaders etc. We are also asking all parents not to come into the HQ when dropping off or picking up but to wait on the grass at the front of the building or in the car park. Happy Scouting... read more
Awards for our Leaders
I am sure you are all aware of what a great job ALL of our leaders do week after week and especially how amazing they have been during the long months of lockdown. Well I am very pleased to announce that all of them have received awards over the past few months and now that we are back meeting at the HQ after so long, I was able to award some of them properly. Chief Scout’s 5 Year Service Award: Paul Webster (Shere Khan), Mel Hawkes (Baloo), Charlie Birmingham (Rowan) Commissioners Commendation (for exceptional work in difficult circumstances): Charlie Birmingham, Kirsty Purser (Meadow), Ben Paulley (Chil), Paul Webster, Mel Hawkes, Stuart Baston (Skip), Kieran Steers and Rob Steers (Rama) Chief Scout’s Commendation for Good Service (only awarded after 5 years service and for going ‘above and beyond’): Charlie Birmingham who also helps the whole District with other Beaver sections and issues and organises District events. Award For Merit (awarded only after at least 12 years service and for exceptional service and regularly going the extra mile): Stuart Baston and Rob Steers who continually do so much more than their leadership roles helping regularly at District level and who have both done so much to make meeting in person at our HQ a possibility. All these awards are very well deserved and I hope you can see what an exceptional group of people you all have leading your young people. Charlie Birmingham (Rowan)Stuart Baston (Skip)Rob Steers (Rama) Well done to all of you, Seán Boxall (Group Scout... read more
Maddie Raises £1100 for Charity
Congratulations to one of our Scouts, Maddie Day who has done an amazing thing by walking a grand total of 326,876 steps during March for her ‘Walk All Over Cancer’ challenge (many more than the 310,000 required) and at the same time she has managed to raise £1,100 for the charity. What a wonderful achievement this is and what a great thing to have done during lockdown. We are told that the achievement was made all the more challenging when Maddie managed to get concussion at school playing netball and was off school for 2 days during March! WELL DONE MADDIE – we are really proud of you – a terrific and worthwhile thing to have done.... read more
Hedgehogs and Zoom !
The Beavers invited the Cubs to join their Zoom meeting recently week and were joined by Dave Hudson from ‘Prickles and Paws’ hedgehog rescue centre in Newquay. He gave everyone a tour of the rescue centre which was very impressive. They got to see the incubators containing hoglets and the building where the bigger hedgehogs and the maternity unit were housed. The tour then moved on to the outside space where a fenced off area was home to the hedgehogs before being released back into the wild. As well as hedgehog houses, feeding stations and hedgehog highways, they all got to see the hydrotherapy pool used to assist the hedgehogs in recovering from any injuries they might have. Everyone learnt a lot, including how hedgehog numbers are declining and the importance of making our gardens hedgehog friendly. He encouraged everyone to get involved with this by making hedgehog houses, highways and by creating feeding stations. He encouraged the Beavers and Cubs to send the rescue centre any photos of anything they do to create a great environment for a hedgehog. If you click on this link https://www.pricklesandpaws.org/ you can go directly to the ‘Prickles and Paws’ website. Please do visit, it has all the contact information, along with information on how to attract hedgehogs to your garden. There are also some adorable hedgehog photos. As a charity they are reliant on public support to be able to keep their rescue centre open. If you would like to donate to ‘Prickles and Paws’ you can do so via their website. Please contact one of our Beaver or Cubs leaders for... read more
Groups takes part in JOTA/JOTI !
The 12th Andover Cubs and Scouts took part in the annual Jota/Joti (Jamboree On The Air / Jamboree On The Internet) on the weekend of the 18th to the 20th October 2019. The event is the largest online/on air world Scout Jamboree, with over 2 million participants, celebrating the global citizenship of the scouting movement. The Andover district were invited to the headquarters of the 2nd Andover (Sea Scouts) at East Cholderton to participate in a range of communication activities, including learning the NATO phonetic alphabet, morse code, using CB amateur radio, digital radio and online ‘JOTI’ chat rooms. These devices enabled our group to talk to other scouts from Wales, Canada, Italy and France to name but a few. Our thanks to the district organisers and the 2nd Andover for their hospitality. ... read more